Abstract #1192

Chapon C, Herlihy A, Bhakoo K

In order to accurately assess myocardial infarction in mice, delayed-enhancement imaging using an inversion recovery (IR) pulse sequence was used at 9.4T. Two days post-infarction, magnetization-prepared FLASH was performed prior to and following Gd-DOTA administration to determine the optimal inversion time (TI) for myocardial infarction IR imaging. At the optimal TI, the contrast-to-noise ratio between infarcted and normal myocardium was maximal leading to an accurate definition of infarct area. Therefore, an IR delayed enhancement can be performed to assess myocardial infarction in small animals despite of the rapid heart rate and increased longitudinal relaxation times at 9.4T.